


Dynamique du coeur

by wllgardners



Category: Code Black (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 03:25:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9800708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wllgardners/pseuds/wllgardners
Summary: A collection of stories on how the staff of Angels dealed with their first Valetine's Day post outbreak. {Spoilers for the season 2 finale}





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Sadly none of these characters belong to me. Everything Code Black related it's property of CBS (and they better renew my show or I'll hunt them down.)

**PART ONE - MARIO & ANGUS**

The transition back to real life after the outbreak was going quite smooth for Mario. Well, at least when it concerned him, going back to work and his routine was pretty easy, however the same couldn’t be said about his boyfriend. At first, it all started with Angus spoiling the dark haired resident the best way he could while Mario remained home for the next five days after the cure. But as it turns out, once Mario returned to his usual shift schedule, it was nearly impossible to put up with Angus.

It all started on Monday, his first day back at Angels. Angus found a way to check up on him at least three times each hour, flooding him with questions about how he was feeling or if he needed anything. The first couple of times, Mario couldn’t help but to internally sigh with such a compassionate gesture from his boyfriend. He understood that this life threatening situation surely scared the hell out of Angus, and it was fine to be more than a little worried after everything they’ve been through. But then, there was a limit to things like these, especially in their work environment, and Angus went way past that limit over the course of that day.

Mario kept his growing annoyance disguised then. There was no need to lash out or anything, surely this would be a one time thing and Angus would be back to the regular yet comforting version of himself in the following shift. Except that was the complete opposite of what actually happened, and this time Mario couldn’t keep his mouth shut for long.

The hospital was packed with patients as usual, and even though by now everyone had returned to their respective jobs, there was this collective hesitation at first. Mario had just finished a failed procedure with Guthrie on a patient hit by a car. The teenage boy in question bled out right in front of them, which only worsened his bad mood. On his way out of Center Stage, Mario was greeted by a concerned Angus. He already knew what was coming.

“Are you okay?” Angus questioned, studying his lover’s face carefully.

“Not really,” Mario breathed out, unable to look directly into the eyes of the man standing right in front of him.

“What do you mean not really? Are you feeling anything? Are you feverish?” The blond man’s hand landed on Mario’s forehead as he tried to determine if his temperature was high or not.

“No.” Mario slapped that unwanted hand away from him and took a few steps back. “I’m not feeling anything.”

“Why? Are you numb? Are you going to faint?” Angus was starting to get on his nerves once again with all the questions.

“Stop it. I’m okay,” Mario replied holding on to his last strand of calmness.

“Do you want me to talk to Campbell? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind giving you a few extra days off…” And just like that, Angus managed to hit a nerve.

“You don’t think I’m ready to be back here?” Mario snapped, clearly an overreaction regarding his recent failure with the last patient. “You don’t think I’m capable of saving lives anymore?”

“That’s not what I said,” Angus stated softly, with a tad of shock in his tone.

“Because if I’m not…” Mario looked around, taking a couple of deep breaths he continued. “It’s your fault. You keep pestering me around with these questions every three minutes and I-I just can’t focus.”

“Mario, I-” The taller resident tried to get near his boyfriend but Mario jumped back.

“You’re suffocating me,” Mario’s voice wasn’t high enough to alarm everyone else around them, but it carried a significant amount of anger that scared Angus more than any deadly virus could. What if he’d just messed up the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to him?

“I didn’t mean to,” Angus said softly, his broken voice practically a whisper which Mario would never have the chance to hear since he had turned his back and stormed out of the hallway soon after talking. The blond man watched as his boyfriend tossed the blood stained protection gown in the trash before vanishing behind the door.

The afternoon was relatively calmer, not much more complicated than the usual busy routine of the ER. Mario hadn’t seen Angus since their argument, and to be honest, he was missing those hazel eyes he adored so much. The same eyes that he loves, piercing right into his soul while he spoke another one of those stupid questions. He was aware that perhaps he handled things terribly and he felt genuinely bad for it. However, part of him was relieved to be left alone in order to gather his thoughts, he’d been needing this since the whole outbreak.

Arriving in the locker room to collect his things and go home, Mario was surprised by the vision of Elliot in front of his locker, adjusting the collar of his fancy shirt. A musky scent, way too strong and quite frankly nauseating, had domained the whole room.

“Sugar Bear, what the hell is that smell?” Mario scrunched his nose and looked at his friend with disgust as he moved in front of his own locker.

“My cologne,” the shorter man simply replied.

“Your cologne?” the older resident asked, irony filling his voice.

“Yeah. I want to impress my valentine.” Once again, Elliott's response was pure innocence.

“Wait a second your-” Mario trailed off, up to this point he hadn’t realized about the holiday. “Today’s Valentine’s Day?” he questioned rather desperately.

Elliot just nodded in response. 

The taller man rolled his eyes, truly mad at himself for forgetting a day like this one. And even more pissed to have been a big jerk to his valentine on the most romantic holiday of the year. “Shit, shit,” he cursed under his breath, hitting the door of his locker with an open palm a couple of times in the process.

A little paper heart note fell from his locker as soon as his hand banging on the metal door ceased. Mario collected the item, recognizing it from the lame decoration of the break room. He turned the piece of paper over and read a familiar handwriting.

_ “Sorry for being suffocating. I couldn’t bear the thought of living without you. Hope you can forgive me. Happy Valentine’s Day, I love you.” _

As if he didn’t feel stupid enough…

Seeing Angus talking with Malaya near the front desk made Mario’s heart skip a beat. What he did, better yet, the way he did what he did it to him was just horrible. Guilt felt like a knife twisting inside his guts. He had to know they’d get through this.

He barely paid attention to whatever conversation there was going on between the two of them once he made his way to Angus. His hand immediately flew to his boyfriend’s shoulder and he squeezed gently, bringing those damn intoxicating hazel eyes to him.

“Date night?” Mario smiled as he noticed the confusion on Angus’ face. “I owe you one.”

Angus glanced at Malaya who nodded at him, a soundless scream for her friend to just go and make up with the man he loved. 

“S-sure,” he replied, gazing back to Mario just in time to see the corners of his lips twitching up once again and lighting up the whole ER.

“You can choose the place. Anywhere, babe.” The dark haired man’s fingers dug a little deeper on his beloved’s scrubs. 

Angus nodded back, it was impossible to not grin at Mario right now. He knew apologizing was sort of a tough thing for Mario, and yet there he was, standing before the love of his life, improving with every single attempt. It surprise Angus to his core to see how far the other man had come. Change is such a beautiful thing sometimes. Turns out they actually were good for each other, in many more ways that Angus predicted.

Mario practically pulled him away from the front desk and towards the door. Such action just left a short window of time for the blond man to turn to his friend and talk one last thing “Good night, Malaya. Please be well, okay?”

As soon as they were out the front door, effectively out of their workplace, Mario took Angus’ hand in his. He caressed the back of his lover’s hand with his thumb as they walked together towards the train station. 

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Mario remarked as he put his free hand on his pocket and took out a folded piece of paper which he handled to the man beside him. “This is for you.”

Angus unfolded the item and discovered another one of those tacky paper hearts from the break room decor. He turned it around, realizing it was a note, just like the one he had written a few hours ago.

_ “You’re an idiot, but I am too. Maybe that’s why I love you so much. Sorry for being a jerk, can I make up for it tonight? Happy Valentine's Day.” _

The taller resident grinned once again after reading the note. He stuffed the piece of paper on his own pocket before both of his hands landed on Mario’s cheeks. Angus pulled him closer, causing their lips to meet in a soft kiss. Leaning back, he found the shorter man’s eyes glowing at him. God, he was so beautiful.

“Now we’re good” Angus stated in a low voice. “So, I was thinking about Chinese...?”

The two of them continued on their path, hands connected and hearts in sync as they began to spend their first real Valentine’s Day together.


	2. Chapter 2

**PART TWO - MALAYA**

The alarm clock rings on the wooden bedside table, vibrating the whole thing up and disturbing Malaya’s sleep. She stretched her arm and turned the demonic item off. It was time to drag herself to the bathroom and start to get ready for another day at work. Today would mark her second shift since the quarantine and the prospect of dying. A lot had happened in her mind during those excruciating hours she was left hanging for a cure in the midst of a chaotic concentration of people.

Mostly, her thoughts revolved around Carla. She wondered if they’d meet on the other side, or whatever people called it. If they were bound to, she’d probably wrap her arms around the woman of her dreams and tell her to never leave again. Her heart felt tinier every single time she envisioned Carla’s face, and even though time went by, it seemed as if she couldn’t get over.

Days like Valentine’s always brought the memories of some of the happiest times in her life, those of which she was proud to call a second year resident her girlfriend. Perhaps nostalgia on this particular holiday was what prompted her to toss around the pile of pictures on the bottom of her drawer until she found that one goofy photo the two of them took together on the hospital’s roof years ago. She took the little memorabilia with her to work.

Once she set foot in Angels, she noticed a weird agglomeration of people not far away from the front desk. Observing it closely, she noticed Mama, Sugar Bear, and Noa talking rather loudly, which obviously caught the attention of some of the nurses that passed by. Usually, she’d join in the conversation to understand why the hell were they laughing, but the emotional weight that picture carried along prevented her to go anywhere other than the locker room to dump her things.

Malaya tried to do her job the best way she could. She figured that keeping herself busy would help her to divert her thoughts from that awful melancholy she found herself immersed in today. But every now and then, during the course of the day, she’d take some time off to go over the break room and admire that photograph.

In one of those times she allowed her fingers to trace over the image of Carla. Her smile was probably the most beautiful thing Malaya had ever laid her eyes on. She loved how the dimples on Carla’s cheeks would become so evident every time she smiled. Was it stupid to think that her former girlfriend had the most beautiful nose in the world? From time to time, Malaya caught herself thinking of that nose and the many little kisses she’d give it in the mornings in order to wake up her favorite sleepyhead.

Malaya was lost in her own mind, unaware of how one corner of her mouth lifted up as she remembered Carla. She didn’t hear Angus sighing as he entered the break room and moved directly towards the coffee machine in the opposite side of where she was standing. In fact, she didn’t even hear him calling her name a couple of times, she only acknowledged his presence once he tapped on her shoulder lightly twice.

“Malaya?” he questioned a little louder, finally gathering her attention.

“Yeah?” she tried to hide the picture by placing the hand that carried it between her lower back and the counter where she leaned on.

“Can we talk?” Angus seemed more worried than usual. 

She nodded positively and motioned for him to sit on one of the tables. She moved to sit beside him after attempting to shove the picture on her back pocket. Unfortunately, she didn’t notice the photo falling on the ground instead.

Angus opened his heart about the whole incident with Mario. He was feeling rather guilty for pressuring his boyfriend like that, but quite uncomprehending as to why he reacted that way. Malaya tried to put some sense into her friend, explaining how Mario was a tough nut to crack. She advised Angus to take things a little bit slower, especially now when the repercussions of their imminent death last week were starting to ease up and regular life knocked on everyone’s doors.

However, she didn’t have the chance to finish her talk. The medical pager beeped with Dr. Rorish’s request for her presence in Center Stage. Malaya quickly rose from her seat and moved towards the door.

“Be creative,” she pointed out the paper hearts that hung above the coffee machine cabinet before turning around and leaving Angus there by himself.

Once their patient was successfully sent to the OR, Malaya glanced over the clock and realized her shift had ended about half an hour ago. She went to the locker room, gathered her stuff and was about to go home when Angus stopped her by the time she had approached the front desk.

“You almost forgot this.” He handed her the photograph found on the floor of the break room, 

Malaya’s eyes widened. How could she not have noticed it wasn’t there anymore? “Thank you Angus, where did you find this?”

“Break room…” he gently placed both his hands on her arms and looked at her caringly “You’ve heard way too much about my problems. If you ever want to talk about yours, I’m right here, okay?”

“I’m fine…” her voice wasn’t very convincing and she was aware of that. Her friend’s eyebrow raised at her, expecting the truth. It got her to talk again. “I just miss her so damn much, you know?” Malaya’s eyes watered up, blurring her vision “I’ll never have another chance to cook her our traditional Valentine’s Day dinner. She’s just… gone. Forever.”

Angus, being the amazing person he was, wrapped his arms around her and allowed Malaya to cry freely on his shoulder. Once she pulled back, a short amount of time after, he proceeded. “A part of her will always be within your reach.”

Malaya rubbed her eyes, drying her tears. His words lit up an idea inside her head, perhaps he was talking about the picture but there actually was another part of Carla that would always be really close to her. She was left to ponder about it when Mario came towards them, claiming his boyfriend. Malaya smiled at their silliness as both of them left together, holding hands the minute they set foot out of the hospital building.

Later that evening, her trembling fingers knocked on the big wooden door. She had been on that house a handful of times in the past, nothing but good memories were made here among Carla’s family.

“Malaya?” her girlfriend’s father stood in front of her with a puzzled expression after swinging the door open. “I haven’t seen you in a while. Come in.”

“I’ve been busy,” she apologized rather awkwardly. Glaring around the inside of the house, she was hit once again with how everything reminded her of Carla.

“Can I help you in any way?” the man in front of her questioned. He had always been very fond of Malaya. Many times before he had stated how he dreamed of giving Carla away to her on their wedding day.

“I was wondering if I could see the baby?” her tone carried much more emotion than she initially anticipated.

He smiled tenderly before patting her on the shoulder and nodding to one of the closed doors behind him. “Come on.”

Malaya got into the all green nursery, decorated with a safari theme. She chuckled remembering the time Carla told her she loved animals so much that vet school was actually her first option for some time.

She approached the bassinet and found a gorgeous big baby boy peacefully sleeping. According to his grandfather’s instructions, Malaya picked up the baby and nestled him on her arms. Observing carefully, she noticed how much he looked like Carla; that perfect nose, the dimpled cheeks, even the way he slept was similar to hers in a way. Malaya smiled wholeheartedly thinking on how much he grew up since the last - and only - time she saw him.

“Hey little one, let me tell you a story about your mother…”

There was no better date for tonight than with this baby boy she was holding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always welcomed!


	3. Chapter 3

**PART THREE - SUGAR BEAR & NOA**

“Hey Sugar Bear, give me a hand in here, will ya?” Mama was positioned over one of the chairs from the table, holding a string decorated with several paper hearts. He attempted to glue each edge of the string in the wall behind the coffee machine counter on the break room.

Elliot didn’t answer, nor was he paying any attention to the man almost falling off the chair right beside him. Oh no, his eyes were glued on the beautiful petite form that walked right in front of the room’s window. She stopped on her tracks and was greeted by one of the nurses, who handed her papers to analyze. Elliot’s heart pounded once he witnessed that beautiful woman brushing some of her golden locks of hair behind her ear as she looked to the paperwork.

“Sugar Bear?!” Mama yelled at him, for he was getting nervous with the lack of help coming from the person who volunteered to put up the Valentine’s Day decoration.

“Sorry, what?” He was startled by the older man’s demanding voice. Turning towards him, he tried to make up for his mistake. “Do you need some help over there?”

“Not anymore,” Jesse replied as he descended from the chair. His hands flew to his waist as he took a moment to admire his work. “What do you think?”

“Eh…” Was all Elliot said. His expression lacking the enthusiasm Jesse was expecting.

“ _ Desagradecidos, _ ” the nurse muttered as he turned around and headed towards the entrance hall. Every year he’d put up the best decorations for each and every holiday. It was not his fault at all if this year he had considerable less time to prepare for everything due to a certain apocalyptic event on the previous week.

“Jesse, wait.” Elliott followed him, his desperate voice bringing the older man to look at him again. “I was thinking on asking Eloise out today…”

“Eloise, huh?” Mama cocked an eyebrow at him. Anyone with a semi good pair of eyes could see from miles how ridiculously crushed Sugar Bear was on the blonde nurse.

Elliot shrugged in response before continuing. “Yeah, if it’s okay with you. I mean, with she being one of your nurses and all.”

“She’s not my property, Sugar Bear,” the chief of nurses scoffed at the young man. “You can ask her out all you want.”

“Ask who out?” Noa meddled not only in the conversation but also between the two men.

“No one.” Elliot defended himself quickly.

“Eloise,” Jesse explained, simultaneously.

“Ah,” the female resident playfully elbowed her friend in the ribs. “I see she’s the chosen one.”

“Oh, will tonight be the night our little boy becomes a man?” Jesse joked, bringing Noa to laugh soundly as he chuckled lightly at his own humorous remark. Sugar Bear on the other hand frowned at them.

“That’s not what I want,” Elliot replied dryly. He should’ve known better than just to blurt out his biggest secret. Normally he wouldn’t mind the little jokes about the matter, but with Eloise things were different. He cared about her too much to let their potential relationship turn into the hospital’s running gag.

“You don’t want to get laid?” Noa judged him, her voice carrying a sarcastic tone.

“No, I-I… Ju-” He trailed off. His cheeks lightly blushed at the bringing up of this particular subject. His dark eyes darted to the ground as he chose his next words carefully. “I do, but it doesn’t have to be tonight. I’m interested on knowing her first, seeing what we have on common and if we hit it off.”

“Tell her that and you’re definitely getting laid.” Once again the female resident remarked snippily. Mama laughed at that, while Sugar Bear rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“What is going on over there?” Elliot froze as he recognized Dr. Rorish’s flat voice calling the trio out, probably motivated by the fact that none of them seemed to be concerned about patients at that moment. He turned around and found her standing on the other side of the front desk, with Dr. Willis at her side, staring at the small group.

The shorter man opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to form sentences to explain what was happening but he came up with nothing. Noa shut her mouth and crossed her arms, unable to speak anything. 

“We’re giving some tips dating tips for Sugar Bear. He wants to go out with Eloise.” Mama was the one to break the silence, calming the nerves of the residents.

“Oh,” Leanne stated surprised, still absorbing the information. One corner of her mouth twitched up in a half smile and she quickly glanced over the man on her side, who at this point had lowered his head to chuckle. “Well let me offer you some advice of my own then. First of all, don’t listen to anything Jesse has to say.” She watched as her best friend flashed her an annoyed look. “Just go talk to her, remember to be kind and respectful. You’re a decent guy, Dr. Dixon. I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

The male resident smiled in gratitude, he nodded a couple times in appreciation of such nice words. “Thank you, Dr. Rorish.”

“Alright, now let’s get you all to work,” she commanded, motioning to dissipate the little crowd of nurses that had gathered around the trio.

“Residents, with me, please.” Dr Willis tapped on the front desk twice before making his way down the hall. Both Noa and Elliott followed the older man’s steps.

“What about you, anyway? Big plans for Valentine’s Day?” Sugar Bear turned to face Noa as he questioned her.

“I’m working late today. Assistant Team Doctor matters.” She replied, trying to sound confident. Noa tended not to care about spending time alone, not even on day like this one. This year however, the prospect of solitude scared her more than she’d ever admit. Perhaps it was better to drown herself in work in order to forget she had no companion for this holiday.

“Looser,” her friend’s snarky voice caused her to widen her eyes at him. She watched as Elliot grinned at her before shifting his focus to the patient in whose room they had just entered. Looks like she became the joke now.

Sugar Bear couldn’t hide his excitement when Eloise agreed to go out for dinner with him later that evening. The young doctor spent most of his shift daydreaming about the woman in question. His mind ran multiple scenarios on how to maintain an interesting conversation flowing between them throughout the date. He had also prepared himself in case a kiss happened in order to close the night the best way possible.

A rather long procedure left him with no time to go home before the so long expected date. He had to shower and make the necessary preparations in the hospital. Luck was on his side, he could tell that by noticing the kind of clothes he kept on his locker. They consisted of a light blue dress up shirt and a pair of jeans, slightly fancier than the things he’d usually wear to work everyday.

The last touch was spraying some of the cologne a friend once brought him from France a while ago. One spray on the neck, a couple more on each of his wrists. Maybe some extra sprayings were necessary too; smelling nice was the perfect way to cause a good first impression. It certainly wouldn’t do any harm, it was french cologne after all.

Not even Mario’s weird outburst; slapping on the locker’s door and storming out of the room without giving him any sort of explanation after they briefly spoke while he was finishing getting ready was enough to kill his good mood. Tonight would be a remarkable night, he was sure of that. Now all he needed to do was wait for Eloise; they had agreed on meeting at the stairwells in front of Angels’ entrance, solely to avoid people gossiping about their date.

Elliot waited and waited for what it seemed like an eternity, and yet, no sign of Eloise. He called her a couple of times but her phone was out of service. He even went back inside to ask the second shift chief of nurses if the blonde woman was still there, seemed like no one had a clue where she went. Getting back to the stairs, Elliot sat on one of the steps, turning his gaze to the horizon he sighed sadly. He was just stood up on Valentine’s Day.

“Sugar Bear, what are you still doing here?” a familiar voice drifted his attention to stare and the red head woman standing right next to him. She carried a couple of books and a side bag that looked particularly heavy. “Where’s Eloise?”

“I guess she changed her mind.” Although his answer was short, it wasn’t enough to hide the sorrow in his voice.

Noa stared at him, feeling genuinely bad for the man. She didn’t know what to say though; the guy was all dressed up, smelling nice - even though perhaps it was a bit too much - sitting all alone on the street on one of the most magical nights of the year.

“Hey,” the woman’s hand rested on the other resident’s shoulder. “Let me buy you a drink.” When Elliot glared up at her with a confused expression, she felt the need to explain. “I’m not asking you out, by the way. But truth is; I could use a wingman for the night.”

Sugar Bear’s lips curled up in a smirk. “I’ll accept that.”

“Come on, I know just the right place. Maybe we’ll both meet some interesting girls tonight,” she lightly punched his shoulder blade in a playful gesture. Elliot got up and followed her down the stairs. Soon they were walking together towards a bar located in a street’s corner, just a couple of blocks away from Angels.

“Noa, you’re a really good friend.” The tenderness in Sugar Bear’s voice showed he was quite happy to have her near to turn around his night once again.

“I know.” she replied with a chuckle, opening the door of the bar soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always welcomed!


	4. Chapter 4

**PART FOUR - LEANNE & ETHAN**

Although the last five days had been incredible for Leanne in the matter of spending some more time with Ariel and bonding with the young girl, it was impossible to deny she was craving to get back to work as soon as possible. She had much more than just a job here, she had a family. From Jesse to the residents, everyone held a special place in her heart, and she belonged to them all in one way or another.

There was a certain doctor to whom she belonged in a very special way, though. And seeing him standing just a few feet away from her after so much time apart was enough to make her heart pound with the joyful idea of a reunion. He was leaned on the front desk, his back turned towards her as he read some patient charts left from the previous shift.

In the middle of the confusion of noises of another code black, her footsteps approaching near him were never heard. She stretched her neck as far as she could, leaning close enough to his ear. A smile stamped on her lips as she surprised him.

“Good morning, Dr Willis.” She backed off in order to watch as he spun around. His blue eyes sparkled as he spotted her right in front of him. 

“You’re back.” He remarked in amusement, unable to suppress the grin on his face.

“Couldn’t stay long away from Angels,” Leanne settled beside him, also leaning her body on the front desk. She gazed at the frenetic pace of people walking down the hallways. God, she had missed this. “Besides, it’s Ariel’s first day back at school. I’d probably bore myself to death if I stayed in the house alone all day,” she stated in a joking tone.

“I understand the feeling,” he nodded in agreement with her last sentence. Ethan bumped his shoulder on hers lightly. “It’s good to have you back.”

She chuckled softly in response. A few seconds later Leanne looked over her shoulder carefully, to make sure no one would take a peek in case she decided to be a little bolder. When the realization that the coast was clear dawned on her, Leanne took Ethan’s hand, intertwining her fingers with his quickly.

He immediately glared at her in surprise. They had this rule of avoiding physical contact at work since things started to change between them. It was better for now to keep their relationship as a secret, especially since they were both attending doctors in the middle of a mess that was Angels ER.

“By the way, Happy Valentine’s Day,” the woman’s hazel eyes locked with the blue ones of her lover. Her face lit up in a smile, the same way his did.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you too,” Ethan completely forgot where they were for a second, he was lost on the way she looked at him. The sound of Noa laughing loudly snapped him back to reality. “Is this the part you tell me to pick my best clothes because tonight you’re taking me out for a candlelit dinner somewhere fancy?”

She replied with a scoff, her lips parting open as she tried to respond to his sassy comment on the same level. But the laughters coming from a couple of residents and the chief nurse distracted her. Leanne called them out, trying to understand why the hell were they being so loud while the influx of patients kept increasing. The fact that the trio discussed about Sugar Bear asking someone out, made her half smile with the irony, while Ethan on her side lowered his head to chuckle, squeezing her hand a little tighter in the process. Leanne offered them some experienced input when it came to dating and dismissed the group of people.

“I was respectful,  _ and _ romantic.” Ethan whispered to her, in reference to her advice for the young misguided doctor. He caught the attention of both residents and made them follow his path down to a patient’s room, leaving Leanne to roll her eyes and chuckle once again as she watched them disappearing in the hallway.

She was about to get her rounds started when Mama approached the front desk. “So, everything ready for tonight?”

“Almost, we just need a few things.” Leanne replied as she made her way around the desk. Now she stood right in front of her best friend.

“Did you tell your boyfriend yet?” Jesse teased her. Her reply was to shush him harshly.

“Not yet, but I will,” she affirmed in a low voice, not wanting to be heard by anyone else.

“I see...” The nurse’s cellphone rang on his pocket while he still talked. He picked the item and stared at the screen before swiping it to not answer the call. Leanne’s curious eyes were glued to him as he placed the phone back where it was before.

“Who’s that?” She raised an eyebrow at him, demanding answers.

“Unknown caller. It’s the third time today.” Mama shrugged. 

Before they could say anything else, Risa rushed over to inform two teenagers were hit by a car and were being brought right away. The duo moved to the ambulance area and started to work on one of the people brought in while Mario and Guthrie provided medical care to the other.

By the end of her shift, Leanne was in her office, signing off on some paperwork of today’s patients treated by residents. She had already changed to her regular clothes and was ready to leave as soon as this task was completed. Three knocks on her door, followed by a familiar face sneaking past the door got her attention.

“I’m still waiting for you to respectfully ask me out,” Ethan teased, watching as she took off her glasses and stood up from her chair.

“I can’t,” she flashed him an apologetic look before changing the tone of the conversation “I’ve got plans with another man,” Ethan’s eyes widened, he was speechless and confused. Feeling bad for making him look like a sad puppy, she fixed things. “Jesse.”

“Okay, you got me there.” He sighed in relief while running a hand through his hair. The doctor laughed lightly. “I had a little heart attack, but it’s fine now.”

Leanne grinned in response. She could tell he was eager to ask what her plans were, although he didn’t mutter a word about it.

“Jesse and I have this sort of Valentine’s Day tradition; we get some junk food, wine, and some board games. It’s a way we found to not be alone,” she watched as he nodded back, his lips curling up on a warm smile. “He’s pretty excited to introduce Ariel to our game night this year.”

“How long have you guys been doing this?” Ethan’s voice was soft. He admired Mama and Daddy’s friendship a lot, it was one of those valuable bonds you only find once in a lifetime.

“Ever since the a-” Leanne trailed off, taking a moment to breath out and push some bad memories away. In a peaceful tone, she continued. “Since the first Valentine’s Day we were both single again.”

“Looks like a fun tradition,” he spoke truthfully. All he wanted was to see her happy, there was no doubt a game night with Jesse and Ariel would have that exact effect.

“You’re not mad, are you?” She asked concerned. Abandoning the paperwork on the desk, Leanne approached her lover. Standing right in front of him, she tried to read his expression.

“Not at all,” he shook his head, reassuring her it was okay to not spend the night with him.

The woman placed both her hands on his chest as she got even closer. Her eyes travelled from their point of contact up to his eyes, taking his breath away in the process. A devious smirk came up as her newfound hoarse voice filled Ethan’s ears. “I’ll make up to you, I promise.”

“I look forward to that,” he whispered in return, swallowing hard just before doing so.

Leanne tiptoed in order to close the gap between their lips. Her hands slid up to his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The kiss was interrupted by the sound of the office door opening again. She pushed him back abruptly as soon as she realized they weren’t by themselves anymore.

“Relax, it’s just me,” Jesse stated. He found it funny to see the couple right in front of him awkwardly regaining composure after he managed to startle them. “Leanne, are you ready to go?”

“Almost, I need to finish some things here first,” shyness caused her to walk back to sit on her chair without even looking at Mama.

“Well, I guess I should be going then. Happy game night for you both,” Ethan voiced sympathetically. 

The army doctor was heading silently to the door. Jesse glimpsed at his best friend, who watched the other man leaving with a saddened half smile. The nurse reconsidered his options quickly, he felt guilty for pushing them apart on the most romantic night of the year.

“Willis, wait a second,” Mama’s call made the man turn around and stare at the nurse with wondering eyes. “Game night doesn’t work very well with odd numbers. We could use a fourth player…”

Ethan raised his eyebrow in surprise. Then he glanced at Leanne, waiting for her reaction before providing an answer to this proposition. He found her already gazing at him with a content smile.

“I think that’s a lovely idea,” she adds, settling his mind once and for all.

“Where and when?” he questioned. This Valentine’s Day was already set to be something completely different than anything he had ever done before. Not that he was complaining though, he was quite happy to be included in tonight’s tradition.

“My place, 7:30,” Leanne added.

“We should leave her lazy ass to finish work or we’ll stay here forever,” Mama tapped on the other man’s shoulder, prompting him to follow Jesse’s indication to get out of the room. The nurse was closing the door behind him when he looked once again at Leanne, observing as she mouthed at him.

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always welcomed!

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! Next part tells a little bit more of Malaya.   
> A special thank you to my wonderful friend Tae for being the best beta


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